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The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS.edu) is the largest public policy Ph.D. program in the nation and the only program based at an independent public policy research organization—the RAND Corporation.

Child Welfare

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Children who live in impoverished conditions or who experience traumatic events face numerous challenges as they develop. RAND conducts research on issues that affect child welfare such as poverty, abuse and neglect, foster care, adoption, child protective services, and other government services designed to protect children and encourage family stability.

The Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program is a school-based, group, and individual intervention. CBITS is designed to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and behavioral problems, and to improve grades and attendance, peer and parent support, and coping skills.

The historic objective of Children's Day — celebrated in many European countries on the first day of June — was not simply to celebrate children for who they are, but to bring attention to children around the world who suffer from exploitation, violence, and discrimination.

To analyze the effects of prevention and treatment programs on child welfare outcomes, RAND researchers modeled how different policy options would affect a child's pathway through the system, costs, and early adulthood outcomes.

RAND researchers' model of the child welfare system shows that increasing prevention while also increasing treatment improves system experience and long-term outcomes while paying for itself by reducing lifetime child welfare system costs.

The idea that bullying is experienced by only a few children and adolescents is false. Most cases are verbal, not physical, and victims tend to remain silent. Research has shown that bullying can have negative long-term effects on a person's life.

Accurate reporting of sexual violence is important. But counting and reporting assaults shouldn't be confused with polices that focus on making sure universities have the resources and support systems they need to help victims.

Concerns about violence have led many schools to seek out safety technologies such as metal detectors, anonymous “tip lines,” and video surveillance systems. How effective are these at helping schools prevent and respond to threats and acts of violence?

Having a medical home may lead to higher perceived quality of care for children; however, children who lost medical home status may have more ER visits, compared with children whose status was not interrupted.

School violence can damage both kids' future outcomes and the culture and performance of the school. Safety technologies are one of many approaches to prevent and respond to the problem. What role might they play?

The purpose of the current study was to examine the association between violence exposures (no exposure, witness or victim only, and both witness and victim) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms.

Restorative practices are an alternative to zero-tolerance school discipline policies. Rather than mandating prescribed punishments for specific misbehaviors, this more tailored approach aims to empower students.

Single parents head 10.4 percent of households with children across Europe — 20.4 percent in the UK — and the socioeconomic gap between single- and two-parent households continues to grow. Accessible and flexible work policies are needed to improve employment conditions for single parents, especially mothers.

Authors determine whether there is a relationship between early life adversity (ELA) and biological parameters known to predict health risks and to examine the extent to which circumstances in midlife mediate this relationship.

This chapter describes the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program, how it addresses child abuse specifically, the theoretical rationale for the program, and the evidence supporting its effectiveness.

RAND’s Initiative for Middle East Youth (IMEY) seeks to better understand and address the complex challenges facing the large youth population in the Middle East today. IMEY supports research and initiatives that focus on a range of socio-economic issues, particularly youth unemployment and education.

Schools are in a unique position to recognize traumatic stress in children. But first, adults throughout the school system—teachers, staff, administrators, school resource officers, and parents—must be aware of the issue, know how to detect signs of trauma exposure, and create a supportive environment.

Most successful schools demonstrate better retention and academic achievement. As a result, being admitted to or attending a successful school can reduce very risky health behaviors among low-income adolescents.

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Researcher Spotlight

Behavioral/Social Scientist

Katharine Sieck is an anthropologist at RAND whose work focuses on the social determinants of behavioral and cognitive change; she is also a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She specializes in system dynamics, mapping how people in different roles experience and understand the…

Director, Population Health Program

Jeanne S. Ringel is a senior economist and director of the Population Health Program at the RAND Corporation, a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Southern California.

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